Good News and Not-So-Good News by Jackdoodle

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi, DK friends! I just wanted to say hi and tell you what's been going on with me lately.

Some of you know that recently I have been having a problem running and jumping. I was trying very hard not to let my mom know about it, because I hate to worry her, and I do have my tough guy image to maintain. But my mom figured out that I wasn't running or getting up on her bed because I couldn't, and not because I didn't want to. These smart moms can be very difficult to manage sometimes.

Today I went to see a new kind of special doctor who knows about bones and nerves and things like that.

He was very nice. He examined me and took some Xrays.

The good news is, I have a lot of very good muscle, and very good muscle tone. I am also very strong. (Gee, I didn't need a doctor to tell me that!) The vet says I do not have hip dysplasia or anything wrong with my legs or my hips. My regular vet thought I had arthritis, but this new doctor does not think I do. That's the good news!

What he does think is that there is something wrong with the lower part of my spine. The Xrays showed something there. It might be something called spondylosis, or it might be something called a herniated disc. They cannot tell exactly what it is without doing a special test called an MRI. The new vet does not think we need to do that yet, and I am glad, because I would have to be asleep for it, and that is kind of scary. The doctor and my mom decided that first we will try a new medicine for two weeks and see if that helps me. The new medicine is for pain. So I have to take two more pills every day, which brings the total number to 14. That's the not-so-good news.

My mom also wanted me to ask you if any of you have used a ramp for your dogs to help them get in and out of the car. I can get out just fine, but I am having some trouble getting in. Today Cassie, my vet tech, had to help lift my butt to help me get in, and I felt so embarrassed about it, I couldn't help crying out loud, which made my mom very sad. So she is looking into getting me something called a ramp so I can get into the car (my mom said tell you it's an SUV) easier. We would be grateful for any recommendations or advice.  

Anyway, that's about all for now. I hope you are all having a good summer.

Your friend,

Jackdoodle

UPDATE BY JD'S MOM:

The new medication does not seem to be helping, in fact, it may be making things worse. It's a human anti-seizure drug, Gabapentin. Over the last ten days, he's been experiencing a kind of collapsing of his hind end. It happens randomly when he is just walking, his back legs kind of bow out and his rear end goes down as if he's about to poop, but it's really that his back end just kind of collapses. It only lasts seconds and then he can walk again, but it'a very disturbing and scary. It may not happen for several days and then it will happen repeatedly on a single day. He's also displaying some spatial confusion. So we are discontinuing the meds, and it looks like an MRI will be the next step. I'm going to wait a few days and see how he does without the meds.

 

 

[Christine & Camus]

I was thinking of an MRI being a noninvasive procedure, forgot that it would be more complicated for JD than for a human.  You certainly have a lot of issues to consider when thinking of any treatment or procedure for him.  Hopefully your regular vet can suggest a med that JD will be able to tolerate until the specialist returns on Thursday. 

One last thought - would someone in the office be able to at least call or email the specialist?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

No, but I am going to ask the regular vet if there would be any harm involved in just discontinuing the drug until I can talk to the specialist. It's a human seizure medication, and the label has warnings about stopping it abruptly, but i don't know if that applies to dogs, or patients who don't have seizures.

[F, Calla & Luca]

You can always taper a bit. If you are giving three give two, then one etc. A good rule of thumb for most things is to taper by about a third every day or two. But he'd probably be fine if you just discontinue it since you are not dealing with seizures.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, F. He's getting two a day.

[F, Calla & Luca]

So give him one for a couple of days and stop.

[Bonnie and Kona]

OMD! This is just too much. I am so sorry for both of you. What a mess. Hoping you get good advice from the vet. ugh. Praying for your peace and for JD's healing. xoox

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Bonnie. Mess is right. I wish I could understand why he has to deal with so much.

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Even thoug it may be difficult to get used to, I tend to think the ramp would work better than the sling.  We had a retired greyhound that had horrible back issues and we finally had permanent acupuncture (gold bead implants) performed on him.  It was the best thing we had ever done for him, he went back to being an active dog with a huge smile on his face.  He was actually very large for a greyhound and the ramp worked best for getting him in and out of the SUV.  Wish we had kept it because I now have a 100 lb mutt with two bad ccl's and I have to lift him into the car when we go to the vet. 

 

Good luck to you both, he's lucky to have you as a mom!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Marnie! But really, I am truly the lucky one. He does much more for me than I could ever do for him. :)

[Marcy, Apollo & Phoebe]

No recommendations or advice, but Apollo and I are sending positive thoughts your way.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Marcy.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Oh poor JD!  Hoping this turns out to be a pinched nerve.  Hope you can find a way to have the MRI soon and put your mind to rest.  We'll keep sending positive thoughts your way.